Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-28
DOES IT PAY J?
BY BELLE MEADE SMITH,
Anthor of "a Human Kaleidoscope" 'The
Sensation of the Summer" etc,

BY BELLE MEADE SMITH,
Anthor of "a Human Kaleidoscope" "The
Sensation of the Summer" etc,
PART II.
From Frank Ford in Los Angeles to Mrs.
Archer in Paris.
My Dear Friend:-To my surprise
this morning, coupe satire carriage,
drawn by pair of quiet horses, and
driven by Mademoiselle Dargantal,
drove up to my door. "This is unex-
pected," l exclaimed, as l hurried out
to receive my distinguished guest.
"But 1 hope" said Mademoiselle, as
she offered me her hand, "it is none
the less welcome" Mr.. Ford, if you
can accommodate us, Ma. Niue and
1 have come to stay" Impossible"
l gasped, "there is not a carpet on the
floors and the house is wh..e-washed
inside and out" $50 much the bet
ter" said Mademorselle, 81 want to
rough it. Now do be obliging enough
to rent us one or two of your rooms,
and to allow us the use of your kitch-
en-" and she laughed just as Nellie
would have laughed under sim
liar circumstances. Whereupon,
The Philosopher, who, in COM
pany with an incubator and about
two thousand motherless chicks now
resides with me, stepped up and set
tied the matter by saying that as our
place and life were exactly what
Mademoiselle needed, he would an
swer for me; that the entire ranch
was at her disposal. Then Mademoi-
selle and Madame D'Argantal, or Ma
Niue, as her daughter so prettily calls
her, alighted, and without the least
ceremony took possession of the house
Your humble servant, +. f.
From Lidonie D'Argantal in Los Angeles to
Mrs. Archer in Paris.
Mv Dear Friend:-When | tell you
that have bought a lot and that in
tend to build cottage for Ma Niue
and myself in Los Angeles, you will
be convinced that it is the garden
spot of earth. wish | could Describe
it to you, but l cannot, it must be seen
to be appreciated. Still, l want you
to have some idea of what it is like, and
30 shall to the best of my abilit,<
photograph it with my pen. Picture
to Yourself vast stretch of fadelessly
green country, made up of hills and
valleys, canopied by a cloudless sky
of vivid blue, and walled in by an un-
broken hue OF mystic mountains, and
you will with your minds eyes behold
the CITY of the Angels. In all direc-
tions beautiful lemons, adorned by
oranges, BONANZA and palm trees, and
completely embedded in the gaiest
flowers are to be seen; while
miles and miles OF unoccupied
land awaits the pleasure OF
those happy people who are constant
ly learning that it is better to live on
the Pacific Slope than to die in the
cold, cold East. The original town,
with its sleepy Mexicans and adobe
huts, has existed for a century, but
the enterprising metropolis which to-
day bids fair to become the Paris OF
America only saw the light seven
years ago. AS l look about me and
see the flourishing stores, the innu-
merable churches and the many
street car and motor lines that
appear at every turn, l am
inclined to believe that some
unseen and NEUROLOGICAL God, has
with his magic power created this
wonderful city, where everybody is
prosperous and happy and where a
wise prudence, which if it did not
really exist, would be utopian, per-
vades every class and location. But
the. climate, therein lies the secret OF
California's charm, / wish l could for
ever bask in its sunshine (and as soon
as retire from the stage l shalD
and never again he subjected to
the changes and extremes OF
less temperate climes. In the
words of the philosopher, of whom
you have so often heard from Mr..
Ford, and who really is a remarkable
man. II prefer to end my days III
spot where sunstrokes, mad dogs and
snow storms are unknown" But to
tell you about Mr.. Ford, he is in love
with me, but he will not admit it,
even to himself, he is too loyal to his
dead Nellie, whom he says i resem-
BILE. l like him for his devotion
to her memory, better than for
anything else; although, must
confess, l find him in every
respect agreeable and companionable.
We are the best OF friends. We are to
each other Frank and Sidonie. Ma Niue
thinks great deal of him, too, for
which lam glad. now feel at home
with people of whom she cannot APP
prove. | have persuaded him to
write-rather to dictate-a play, and
to allow me to act as his amanuensis.
We commence work tomorrow.
shall tell you as soon as possible how
we get along. know how anxious
YOU are to have him succeed in his
profession.
From Carl Beck in Boston to Frank Ford in
Los Angeles.
Dear Ford:-I shall start for Califor-
MIA next week. If it will be convent
ent for you to entertain me l shall